Believing
in God, as I've described God in the previous postings, is an exercise in
humility. If we accept that God created
all things, then we believe “that all realities exist in and through God.”[1]
Said another way, nothing exists apart
from God. That means that everything we
have and everything we need comes from God.
We’re completely dependent on God for our existence and for our survival. “Without
the Creator, the creature vanishes.”[2] This reality may be tough to swallow for the proud,
independent, self-sufficient bunch that we are these days. It’s downright humbling. But it’s not denigrating in any way because
of one simple word that is synonymous with God – love.
It’s
true that God needs nothing from us; God would be complete and completely happy
with or without us. But God is love, and
love is dynamic, not static. Love has to
move; it has to be shared. And God’s
perfect love is love in infinite abundance.
So God creates as an act of love, as an opportunity to love in infinite
abundance. God loves mice and mosquitoes. God loves dogs and
dinosaurs. God even loves broccoli and Brussels
sprouts. But most importantly, God loves
us. God loves us so much that he created
us in his image and likeness. (Genesis 1: 26-27) God loves us so much that he gave his
only son that we may have eternal life. (John
3:16) Feel better? You should, because there’s nothing more we
could ask for than to be infinitely and eternally loved.
Believing
in God comes with responsibilities too. Our
total dependence on a God who loves us obliges us to love God in return. It's the least we can do! Loving God means thanking God for his many
gifts and taking the time to worship him.
Loving God means making good use of creation, respecting our universe and
showing proper stewardship over the animals, plants and the environment entrusted
to our care. Loving God especially means
that we must love each other. All people
share a unity and dignity because we are made in the image of God. From paupers to princes, our human dignity is
bestowed on us by God, and it can never be taken away or diminished by
anyone. We must treat each other
accordingly. Loving God also means trusting
God in every circumstance: trusting that
God keeps his promises; trusting that, through all of the pain and suffering
that this life may bring, we will live in peace and happiness with God forever;
and trusting that God’s love never fails.
(1 Corinthians 13: 8)
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